Person:James Gathings (4)

According to Bob Mitchell:

Information from Anson Co., North Carolina Website, Gathings Family, by James Gathings: James Gathings was an active buyer and seller of land in both Anson and Union Counties. He bought some of his land from his father and he was a recipient of two land grants in Anson County. Other land transactions are recorded in Anson and Union County Courthouses. James Gathings died on 4 July 1844 in Union County, North Carolina. He died intestate and there is a large collection of estate settlement records stored in the basement of the Monroe County, Mississippi, Courthouse. He left a large estate, and there was a significant amount of litigation associated with the settlement of his estate. One has to wonder why a family of this wealth and position would pull up their roots and migrate to Mississippi and Texas.

He is buried in a cemetery on his farm, about 11 miles from Monroe, Union County, North Carolina. The small cemetery contains four graves: James Gathings, Susannah Gathings (daughter of James J. and Martha Wall Covington Gathings), John M. Randel (son of Sydney and Mary Jane Gathings Randel), and Benjamin C. Covington (son of David and Susannah Gathings Covington). All of the graves except that of James Gathings are those of children, his grandchildren. The cemetery is difficult to find because it is completely grown over with new growth trees and carolina jasmine and surrounded with mature forest.

From the records in the Monroe County, Mississippi Court house it has been determined that James Gathings and his wife, Jane, moved to Monroe County about 1843-1844. The records show that they owned land and were in residence there and that Jane later laid claim to the property after James' death. M. T.Gathings of Winston Salem, North Carolina believes that James Gathings died on a trip back to North Carolina because none of the Mississippi family knew the exact date of his death. This would explain the record showing that James Gathings died in Union County, North Carolina. (Mr. Gathings would have died in most likely Anson County as Union was formed from Anson and Mecklenburg in 1849. Marshville is part of what was Anson in 1844.)

James owned a cotton plantation. An appraisal of the personal property in James' estate was made in 1845 and it totaled more than $25,000, the largest portion of it being the value of 46 slaves.

James Gathings was an active buyer and seller of land in both the Anson County and Union County records. In addition to the sale of land from his father, he was the recipient of two land grants in Anson County.

1. ↑ Research of Bob Mitchell: Jackson and Associated Families of North and South Carolina trees.ancestry.com/tree/.
2. ↑ Biographical and historical memoirs of Mississippi: embracing an authentic and comprehensive account of the chief events in the history of the state, and a record of the lives of many of the most worthy and illustrious families and individuals. (Chicago [Illinois]: Goodspeed Pub. Co., 1891).

   Location only

3. ↑ Gravestone.
4. ↑ A Memorial and biographical history of Johnson and Hill Counties, Texas: containing the early history of this important section of the great state of Texas, together with glimpses of its future prospects, also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens of the present time, and full-page portraits of some of the most eminent men of this section. (Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1892).
5. ↑ Biographical and historical memoirs of Mississippi: embracing an authentic and comprehensive account of the chief events in the history of the state, and a record of the lives of many of the most worthy and illustrious families and individuals. (Chicago [Illinois]: Goodspeed Pub. Co., 1891).

   State only

6.   Website of Mary Harkey Russell homepages.rootsweb.com/~bird/ and Maryiola ATwindstream DOTnet.